THIRD STRAIGHT CCAA REGULAR-SEASON TROPHY ON THE LINE FOR TRITONSThe No. 6 University of California San Diego women's soccer program concludes the 2018 regular season this week, on the road at two California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) rivals. Having taken over first place in the standings last Friday and widened their lead Sunday, the Tritons (14-1-1, 9-1 CCAA) can earn a third successive CCAA regular-season crown on Thursday night at eighth-place Stanislaus State (7-6-3, 3-5-2 CCAA). Kickoff at Warrior Stadium is slated for 7 p.m. after the men's game, and UC San Diego could even clinch the title before it takes the field, as the only two teams that can catch the Tritons, Sonoma State and Chico State, contest home games at 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. UC San Diego then plays at 25th-ranked, second-place Chico State (8-1-5, 7-1-2 CCAA) on Saturday, Oct. 27, at 11:30 a.m. Even if the Tritons were to stumble and lose in Turlock Thursday, a tie in Chico Saturday is sufficient for them to retain their banner, regardless of what Sonoma State manages on the weekend, as UC San Diego holds that head-to-head tiebreaker. Both matches this week are part of doubleheaders with the No. 17 UC San Diego men, as the capper on Thursday night and lead-in on Saturday.

UC San Diego has already clinched a fifth successive CCAA Tournament, and 18th in its 19 seasons as a league member. The Tritons are also assured of no worse than the No. 3 seed, meaning at least one postseason home contest, either in the first round on Tuesday, Oct. 30, or semifinal round on Friday, Nov. 2, as hosts for a second straight year. They need just one point from this road trip, to guarantee a top-two seed and first-round bye directly into that semifinal.

TRITON SOCCER MATCHDAYOnce again in 2018, all regular-season home matches at Triton Soccer Stadium are free to attend. Parking permits are required, however, on weeknights on the UC San Diego campus. Parking permits can be purchased at machines situated at corners of either of the nearest parking lots, which are behind the spectator stand, and the Hopkins Parking Structure adjacent to RIMAC. Parking is free on Saturday and Sunday. By University policy, pets are not allowed at Triton Soccer Stadium, with the exception of service animals.

LIVE COVERAGEAll UC San Diego home games in 2018 feature a live pay-per-view video stream on UCSDtritons.tv. The cost is $5.99 for a 24-hour window, meaning one fee for doubleheaders, and $34.99 for the entire 2018-19 academic year, to include other Triton athletics teams. Broadcasts are in high definition and can be viewed from smartphones and tablets alongside desktop and laptop computers. Seth Smith (@ItsSethESmith) handles the play-by-play duties. Events are archived. There is a free video stream available for both road contests this week, with audio commentary on Thursday in Turlock only. Stanislaus State also offers a pay-per-view option in high definition. All games have live stats. Fans can access live coverage from the Schedule/Results page, or by clicking on the links above. Starting lineups, live in-game updates and other news and notes can be found by following Triton Soccer all season long on the UC San Diego Athletics Twitter handle (@UCSDtritons). You can also check out in-match Instagram stories during home dates on the UC San Diego Athletics account (@ucsdtritons). Finally, check out the CCAA live scoreboard here to keep up on results around the league.

REGIONAL POLLWednesday marked the unveiling of the second official NCAA regional polls, with UC San Diego on top again, ahead of Western Washington, Concordia (OR), Chico State, Sonoma State, Point Loma, Seattle Pacific, Cal State LA and San Francisco State. The top seven teams in the final edition of those rankings, up from six a year ago, qualify for the NCAA Championship. The third release is set for next Wednesday, Oct. 31. The NCAA field, expanded from 48 teams to 56 this season, will be unveiled on Monday, Nov. 5, at 3:30 p.m. PT, live on NCAA.com. Once again this year, there are automatic qualifiers for all three West Region conferences in the CCAA, Great Northwest Athletic Conference and Pacific West Conference. The CCAA's automatic qualifier will be the tournament champion.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEKUC San Diego registered a fourth six-point CCAA weekend sweep of the season to round out the regular-season home schedule a perfect 8-0. Against Cal State LA on Friday night, Mary Reilly scored two and senior strike partner added a capper, all in the second half from outside the penalty area, for a 3-0 victory in front of a large Homecoming crowd. Sophomore Michelle Baddour nabbed the 50th-minute winner, assisted by Natalie Saddic following a 20-yard run and layoff, to down Cal State Dominguez Hills 1-0 on Senior Day Sunday. Angelica Ramos made one save on Sunday for her seventh individual clean sheet, after combining with Katie Wilkes for Friday night's shutout.

RECENT RUNSince UC San Diego's 1-0 loss at Cal State San Marcos on Oct. 3, its first defeat in over a full calendar year, the Tritons have won five straight, all in shutout fashion. The shutout stretch is now at 476:13. The last four of those contests were scoreless at halftime, with UC San Diego winners coming after the interval. The first three were thanks to Mary Reilly, the prohibitive favorite for CCAA Offensive Player of the Year distinction.

CCAA DOMINATIONUC San Diego is 33-1-1 over its last 35 conference matches. The Tritons were 28-0-1 in their last 29 CCAA games and 37-0-2 over the previous 39 contests against CCAA opposition, prior to the Oct. 3 loss at Cal State San Marcos. Both those streaks began after another 1-0 CCAA road loss, at Sonoma State, on Oct. 18, 2015. UC San Diego had won 23 straight league matches prior to a 1-1 draw at Cal State East Bay last Oct. 26, and 29 straight games against CCAA foes before a scoreless tie at Cal State San Marcos last Oct. 21. The Tritons held a 93-15 scoring advantage and trailed in only three of those 39 matches. In 2016, UC San Diego completed the league slate unbeaten and untied for the first time since joining the CCAA in 2000, at a perfect 12-0. It marked the first such effort by a CCAA squad since Sonoma State went 14-0 in 1998. The Tritons went on to win both of their CCAA Tournament games, 2-0 and 1-0, to give them a 14-0 mark against CCAA foes, outscoring them 35-2 during the regular season and 38-2 overall. UC San Diego followed that up with a 10-0-1 ledger in 2017 to become the first team in CCAA women's soccer history to post back-to-back unbeaten league slates. The 29-game run is a league record.

RECORD RUNUC San Diego's 27-game (23-0-4) unbeaten run, a new record for its Division II history (since 2000), was one of several lengthy streaks snapped by the Tritons' 1-0 loss at Cal State San Marcos on Oct. 3. The overall streak had matched the all-time program standard, with a previous 27-gamer (24-0-3) from Oct. 12, 1992, through Nov. 7, 1993. Both those years ended in Division III third-place finishes.

ATOP THE POLLUC San Diego ascended to the top of the United Soccer Coaches Division II national poll on Sept. 25. It marked the Tritons' first No. 1 ranking since Sept. 2, 2002. They held onto that spot for the Oct. 2 listing, before a road split moved them back down to No. 10. Triton great and current coach Kristin Jones was an All-American junior forward on that 2012 team, which began the year as the two-time defending Division II national champion. When UC San Diego lined up against Sonoma State on Sept. 28, it was the first time it had taken the field as the No. 1 team in the land, since Sept. 2, 2002, when the lone goal in a 1-0 season-opening home win over Tusculum (TN), came from Jones in the 71st minute. Reigning national champion Central Missouri had its 32-game win streak (perfect 26-0 for first crown last year) snapped at Missouri Western in St. Joseph, Mo., on Sept. 21, 1-0, moving then-undefeated UC San Diego up from No. 2.

#HAILMARYTwice this season, including last week for her two game-winners on the road, fourth-year senior striker Mary Reilly swept the United Soccer Coaches Division II national and CCAA Player of the Week awards. She has three of each for her career. The first one in 2018 came on Sept. 18 after Reilly's five-goal outburst in a pair of wins to open league play at home. Her four-goal effort (watch here) in the 6-1 romp over Cal State Monterey Bay on Sept. 14, matched her career high, and marked her top output at Triton Soccer Stadium, having previously hit for four as a freshman at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Oct. 2, 2015. The performance included a first-half hat trick in a span of just 19:27, and bumped Reilly up over former strike partner (2015-17) Katie O'Laughlin (37) as the program's all-time goals leader for its NCAA Division II era, since 2000. The Chula Vista product began the year tied for 11th on the all-time chart, and is now alone in fifth with 45 career tallies, as she is in total points with 110. The milestone 40th was the opening winner in a 2-0 non-conference home defeat of Cal State San Marcos (9/22). Reilly leads the CCAA for a fourth straight year in shots (85), as well as in goals (12), points (25) and game-winning goals (six). She has 36 more shots than partner Megumi Barber (49) in second. Reilly got up over 300 shots for her career in that CSUSM match, now at 352.

SADDIC A STARRedshirt junior Natalie Saddic may not get the statistical recognition from her holding central midfield position, but the first-year Triton co-captain is again the anchor of the nationally-ranked team. The 2017 unanimous All-American finally came off the field for the first time in 2018, for the final 7:51 of the first half at Cal State San Marcos on Oct. 3. She has played 1439 out of 1460 minutes, and guided the team to eight shutouts through 16 matches, including the last five in a row. Offensively, Saddic helped set up both goals in a 2-0 home victory over city rival Cal State San Marcos (9/22), gaining credit for her first collegiate assist on the latter tally, and followed that up with her initial goal of 2018 to open the scoring in a 3-1 home win over Humboldt State (9/30). She provided the assist on the decisive goal in both games this past weekend with lengthy runs. Saddic has started 55 consecutive matches for UC San Diego.

SUMMER THE PROVIDERFourth-year senior winger Summer Bales, a first-time co-captain in 2018, leads the CCAA in assists for a second straight season, currently alone at the top with her seven helpers. That total matches the Temecula native's career best from 2017. She has started the last 39 games in a row, going back to her first collegiate start in the 2016 West Region final in Golden, Colo. Bales has 22 career assists, the most of any current Triton.

#BANGERSONLYSenior striker Megumi Barber was named the CCAA Player of the Week for the first time in her four-year career on Oct. 2. She provided assists on the Tritons' opening goals in back-to-back wins over No. 24 Sonoma State (9/28) and Humboldt State (9/30), before also scoring the late clincher in a 3-1 victory over the Jacks. Starting for the first time in her career, Barber has laid claim to some memorable, terrific goals for the Tritons. Of her 10 career tallies, six in a row had been right-footed strikes from distance, prior to a left-footed chip from inside the penalty area against HSU. Barber's most recent strike, the capper against Cal State LA (10/19), was also with her left foot, from the edge of the 18. It gave her a career-best four on the year. Click here for the midfield strike at Division I Hawai'i (9/7), and here for the free-kick banger against Cal State Monterey Bay (9/14).

HOME PERFORMANCEUC San Diego is an undefeated 27-0-1 over its last 28 home matches, dating back to a 1-0 defeat to then-sixth-ranked Colorado School of Mines on Sept. 11, 2016. The Tritons wound up 13-0-1 in La Jolla in 2017. They were winners of 19 straight at home ahead of a 1-1 draw with UC-Colorado Springs in last year's national quarterfinals, eliminated via penalty-kick tiebreaker. Thirteen marked UC San Diego's most home wins since going 15-1 in La Jolla in 2001 en route to winning its second straight Division II national title, at Triton Soccer Stadium. The only other times the Tritons have completed a home season unbeaten in their Divison II era, were 2006 (11-0-1), 2002 (9-0-1) and 2000 (12-0). Around that 2016 meeting with Mines, UC San Diego is 35-0-2 in La Jolla since its last home loss to an unranked team, a 3-2 overtime defeat to Cal State San Bernardino on Sept. 20, 2015.

TRITON NOTESThe Tritons have used the exact same starting lineup in 15 of 16 contests, the lone exception being true freshman Hana Law earning her first collegiate start at right back in place of the injured Natalie Widmer at Cal Poly Pomona on Oct. 14 ... UC San Diego surrendered just 15 goals during the recently-ended 27-game unbeaten run, with an own goal, penalty kick and free kick among them, and posted 14 shutouts ... The Tritons had come out on the right side of 17 straight one-goal decisions prior to the 1-0 loss at CSUSM on Oct. 3, finishing 12-1 in such games a year ago, and currently at 10-1 this season ... The Tritons had nine 1-0 victories during their 27-game undefeated run, and have won 13 times with that score line since the start of the 2017 campaign, including six this year ... At the conclusion of a fourth-ever trip to Hawai'i, UC San Diego is an unbeaten 7-0-1 on O'ahu, outscoring opponents, 16-3 ... The Tritons' 2-1 victory at Hawai'i on Sept. 7 marked their first date with a Division I program in over two decades, since a 3-0 home win, also over UH on Oct. 19, 1997 ... Prior to the meeting with Hawai'i Hilo on Sept. 9, UC San Diego had last held an opponent without a single shot attempt in a 2-0 home decision over Cal State LA on Oct. 14, 2016 ... UC San Diego is 17-1-1 in season openers in its Division II era (since 2000), having suffered a lone defeat in 2014 at Seattle Pacific and outscored its opponents, 12-2, in four consecutive wins since ... The Tritons are 11-8 in CCAA openers, with three straight wins through comfortable decisions at Cal State San Marcos (4-0) in 2016, vs. Chico State (3-0) a year ago, and vs. CSUMB (6-1) on Sept. 14 ... Two-time defending CCAA regular-season champion UC San Diego is again the preseason favorite to retain its crown, with 136 points and seven first-place votes.

ROSTER NOTESUC San Diego's 30-player 2018 roster has just three seniors in fourth-year team members Summer Bales, Megumi Barber and Mary Reilly ... Kelsey Kimball and Angelica Ramos are both listed as redshirt juniors, also in their fourth year out of high school, and were recognized on Senior Day, but have one season of eligibility remaining ... Bales and Natalie Saddic are first-time team co-captains in 2018 ... Thirteen newcomers have joined the program, including 12 true freshmen ... Eight players are from San Diego, in Saddic (San Diego/Torrey Pines HS), Michelle Baddour (San Diego/University City HS), Megumi Barber (San Diego/Mt. Carmel HS), Sydney Davey (La Jolla/La Jolla HS), Caitlin McCarthy (Carlsbad/Carlsbad HS), Christina Oddone (Carlsbad/Carlsbad HS), Mary Reilly (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS) and Maddy Samilo (Rancho Bernardo/Rancho Bernardo HS) ... Sophomore forwards Mia Bonifazi (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Alexis Kirson (Las Vegas, Nev.) are the only two Tritons from outside of California ... Kristin Jones (Oceanside HS), a two-time national champion and two-time All-American as one of the greatest players to ever come through the storied UC San Diego program, is in her 19th straight season as a Triton player or coach.

CCAA TOURNAMENT REMAINS IN LA JOLLAUC San Diego is the proud host of the 2018 CCAA Tournament semifinals and finals for the second consecutive year and fifth time in all. Two women's and two men's semifinals will be contested at Triton Soccer Stadium on Friday, Nov. 2, with the two finals set for Sunday, Nov. 4. Game times on Friday are 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., just like last year, though the exact order of games is still yet to be finalized. Sunday's game times are to be determined, but appear to be 11 or 11:30 a.m. for the first final, and 2 p.m. for the second. First-round matchups take place on the campuses of the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds on Tuesday, Oct. 30. In all four instances that UC San Diego has served as the host, the Triton women have won the event, in 2001, 2006, 2008 and 2017. The women's champion once again earn the CCAA's automatic berth into the NCAA Championship.

CCAA FORMAT UNCHANGEDFor the fifth year in a row, the CCAA slate consists of a single round robin, with all teams meeting once for 12 matches total, and the top six sides (based on most points; three points for a league win, one for a tie) in the final regular-season standings qualifying for the 2018 CCAA Tournament.

2018 SEASON OUTLOOKUC San Diego is led offensively and defensively by Mary Reilly (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS) and Natalie Saddic (San Diego/Torrey Pines HS), respectively. Reilly began a fourth and final season up top with 33 career goals, and as the CCAA's shots leader by a wide margin in each of her first three years. Saddic is back at holding central midfielder after a rash of injuries forced her to center back for the 2017 postseason. The third-year transfer from UC Davis was a unanimous All-American, and the CCAA Defensive Player of the Year and CCAA Tournament Most Valuable Defensive Player last fall. Joining Reilly as fourth-year Tritons are winger Summer Bales, forward Megumi Barber (San Diego/Mt. Carmel HS), and Kelsey Kimball, who takes over at center back after sitting out the entire 2017 season through injury. Barber is Reilly's new strike partner. True sophomores Delaney Whittet and Natalie Widmer return around Kimball at left and right back, respectively. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Angelica Ramos, the 2017 CCAA Newcomer of the Year, also is back from injury, with sophomore Katie Wilkes having taken over for the three NCAA Championship matches last November after Ramos left the CCAA final with a season-ending injury. Caitlin McCarthy (Carlsbad/Carlsbad HS) remains in central midfield, with fellow true sophomores and locals Michelle Baddour (San Diego/University City HS) and Maddy Samilo (Rancho Bernardo/Rancho Bernardo HS) slotting into the starting spots in central midfield and on the right wing, respectively. Baddour has taken over the No. 10 shirt.

LAST SEASONUC San Diego went 17-2-3 overall and an unbeaten 10-0-1 in the CCAA a year ago. The season ended with a 17-game undefeated streak (14-0-3) as the Tritons played to a 1-1 home draw with UC-Colorado Springs in the national quarterfinals, and were eliminated via penalty-kick tiebreaker. That was after a second successive showdown with Western Washington in the West Region final, this one going to UC San Diego in front of the home crowd, 2-0, to complete its treble. The regular-season champion Tritons won the CCAA Tournament for a third straight and record 11th time, as the top-seeded host. Sonoma State was the opponent in a thrilling final, which UC San Diego rallied to take 4-3 thanks to Natalie Saddic's headed goal with 34 seconds left.

ABOUT THE WARRIORSStanislaus State (7-6-3, 3-5-2 CCAA) was picked to place eighth in the league standings this preseason, and is now tied for eighth. Junior Sadie Ortiz is fourth in the CCAA with 13 points from six goals and one assist. The Warriors are 6-2-1 at home in 2018. They are 0-2-1 over their last three overall, with most recently a 1-0 loss Friday at San Francisco State. Gabriel Bolton is the 14th-year head coach. Stan State won its first West Region crown in 2014.

SERIES HISTORYUC San Diego leads the all-time series, 16-5-2, and has won five straight, including 1-0 in La Jolla a season ago, after another pair of shutout victories in Turlock in 2016. The Tritons won 3-0 on Oct. 21 that year on a Mary Reilly brace and Katie O'Laughlin clincher, and then 1-0 to end the host Warriors' campaign in the CCAA Tournament semifinals thanks to Reilly's dramatic tally at 88:49. They also swept both meetings in 2015, 1-0 in La Jolla during the regular season in a game which UC San Diego finished with nine players, and 3-2 in the CCAA Tournament final in Pomona. The Tritons dropped the two previous matchups, 4-1 in Turlock in 2013 and 4-2 in La Jolla in 2014. The teams faced off twice in 2012, with the visiting Warriors first taking the regular-season contest in La Jolla, 1-0 on an 87th-minute goal. The Tritons avenged that defeat with a 2-1 decision in the CCAA semifinals in Carson, getting their own late winner at 86:09 from Gabi Hernandez after Cassie Callahan and Karenee Demery's strikes had cancelled each other out earlier in the second half.

ABOUT THE WILDCATSChico State (8-1-5, 7-1-2 CCAA) was picked for fifth in the CCAA preseason poll, and is tied for second. The Wildcats were one of the last eight or so unbeaten teams left in all of Division II, prior to suffering a 2-1 defeat at San Francisco State on Sunday. That decider came with just 43 seconds left in regulation. The 'Cats previously drew 1-1 at Stanislaus State on Wednesday evening, falling one short of tying the program record of eight consecutive wins. Chico State is 3-0-4 at home in 2018, and hosts Cal State San Marcos Thursday at 4:30 p.m., prior to welcoming the Tritons in on Senior Day. Kim Sutton is in her 18th season in charge of the Wildcats.

SERIES HISTORYUC San Diego leads the all-time series, 14-5-4, and won 3-0 and 3-1 at home the past two years, after a decisive 4-0 triumph in Chico in 2015. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in Chico in 2014, with Katie O'Laughlin and Halima Abdelshife's goals cancelling each other out in the 14th and 68th minutes, respectively. In 2013, the teams tied in Chico, 2-2, with UC San Diego later winning 2-0 at home. The Tritons have gone 6-0-3 in the last nine regular-season matchups since a 2-0 loss in Chico in 2009. Chico State did, however, end UC San Diego's 2011 campaign in La Jolla with a 1-0 victory in the second round of the NCAA Championship.

HOMECOMING AND HALL OF FAME WEEKENDDuring UC San Diego Homecoming weekend, Oct. 19-21, all-time leading scorer Heather (Mauro) Hilliard (1986-89) was inducted into the UC San Diego Athletics Hall of Fame. She is the third member of the women's soccer program to be so honored, after Ele Johnson (Class of 2013) and Julia Cuder (2014).

#BIGWESTBOUNDOn Nov. 27, 2017, UC San Diego was officially invited to become a member of the NCAA Division I Big West Conference. The Tritons will begin a four-year reclassification period starting in the fall of 2020. They will play a full Big West schedule that season and will be eligible for the NCAA Championship in men's volleyball, men's and women's water polo, and fencing. For the 2024-25 academic year, all sports will be eligible to compete in Big West and NCAA Division I championships. Read the full press release here.

GEAR UPFor the latest in Triton athletic gear, make sure to visit ucsdtritonsgear.com. Run by UCSD Athletics' online partner Advanced-Online, the site provides an on-demand option for Triton athletic apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours.

FOR THE YOUNGER CROWDGot some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UCSD home athletic events, and much more!

UP NEXTPlease stay tuned here to UCSDtritons.com, or UC San Diego's official Twitter handle @UCSDtritons, for all posteason news, as the Tritons' schedule beyond Saturday is dependent upon this week's road results. They will either host a CCAA Tournament first-round game on Tuesday, Oct. 30, or a CCAA Tournament semifinal tilt on Friday, Nov. 2. Start times are to be determined.

About UC San Diego AthleticsWith 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country. The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference. UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent. A total of 80 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 36 have earned prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.

Follow the TritonsFor complete coverage and information regarding UC San Diego Athletics, follow the Tritons online at UCSDtritons.com and through social media on Twitter (@UCSDtritons), Instagram (@ucsdtritons) and Facebook (UCSDtritons). For more information on UC San Diego Women's Soccer, follow on Instagram (@ucsdwsoc).